The author of more than 300 technical papers and seven books, Francis has received several national and international awards for excellence in science. But, he says, the general public does not recognize him for these scientific contributions. Instead, he is generally known as the man who grew the world's largest philodendron.
"Oh, Lord," says Francis, with a laugh. "I work all my life as a hard-working scientist; I do something frivolous, and that is what people pick up."
Francis raised his philodendron for 33 years, until it grew to a record 1,114 feet long. "I then sent it to the Guinness Book of World Records on a lark, and they accepted it," he recalls. A few weeks after the acceptance, Francis got a call from the Miracle- Gro plant food company to make a national television commercial. He says he accepted the offer because he had used the product for ...
